Pure by Heart
by KO9LC
Summary: In a world where Voldemort never wreaked havoc, Hermione Granger struggles to fit into the magical society while dealing with lesser evils, friends, growing up, and covering up her muggleborn heritage to the entire Wizarding World.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 1 The Beginning

"This is where you can buy your books."

Hermione smiled eagerly at her advisor and almost dragged her to Flourish and Blotts by the hand. At eleven years old, her hair was bushy and her teeth were in braces, but she still held a confident poise in her manner. However, in that moment, she could not contain her excitement over going to school, buying books, and simply being in the popular wizard location Diagon Alley. "I cannot wait to start reading. Everything I've heard about the school is remarkable."

About twenty-two books later, along with a disgruntled advisor who was pushing the cart filled with Hermione's belongings, they stepped outside of the bookstore. Hermione beamed at her belongings. "So how do I get home now? Will I have to travel by floo again?" It was a method of traveling Hermione was not keen on getting used to.

"You've only been to one store," the advisor pointed out, and sweat dropped. "We still need more supplies for you."

"I can come back another day," Hermione told her. "I definitely want to visit this place again."

At that moment, a group of boys and girls Hermione's age walked by. They were wearing regular muggle clothing that Hermione was familiar with, so she gave them a nod when they passed by with a glance.

"That muggleborn has weird things on her teeth," one of the girls whispered loudly in shock to her friend. "That's so weird."

"Muggles sure are strange," another kid commented.

Hermione frowned, her fingers reaching up towards her braces. Since her parents are dentists, they were very strict about how well she maintained her teeth. She had been so proud the day she got her braces.

Her advisor noticed her discomfort. "There's a clinic at the end of the road where wizards and witches get their teeth fixed, magically. Kids at school don't have braces like muggles do."

"It's pretty common where I'm from," she muttered to herself, frowning.

"Well as your advisor, let me advise you on one thing; it is better off if the kids at school did not know you were a muggleborn. I've dealt with a lot of bullied kids who went to Hogwarts. There's a lot of prejudice surrounding the topic."

Hermione didn't understand why, and for the next few years she wouldn't be able to. She understood it happened and people generally did not accept muggleborns, but she couldn't do anything about it. She was just a kid, a student that was trying to learn magic. Additionally, here was an adult who was reinforcing the prejudice (although she didn't mean to). Inevitably, Hermione went and got her teeth done magically at a store by Gringotts. She got her wand and her supplies, taking care to get robes and clothes that other students would wear, and went home. Her friends from her piano class wondered how she got her braces off so fast, but she dismissed their inquiries and changed the subject. None of it bothered Hermione since she eventually became focused on studying and trying to absorb as much of the magical world as she could.

The day Hermione was forced to remember the topic of muggleborns was also the day of the first quiz of the year and one of the most memorable. It was mid-September, and Hermione had been sorted into Gryffindor. The first two weeks had been a dream, and although she hadn't managed to make an effort to make friends yet, Hermione was thoroughly enjoying her classes. Transfiguration taught by Professor McGonagall reminded her of science classes back home. Professor McGonagall had assigned the first quiz, much to the dismay of other students in her class.

Being the first to finish, Hermione put down her quill and smiled triumphantly to herself. For someone who had never known a thing about the magical world until a month ago, she felt she had done excellent. She loved the challenge.

A few other students noticed she was finished and whispered amongst them. This earned a harsh "Ssh" and a glare from Professor McGonagall. "Anybody caught cheating will receive detention and points deducted."

After class was over, Hermione collected her books. Two students approached her. They were twins; one from Gryffindor and the other from Ravenclaw. "Wow, you should be in Ravenclaw, you're so smart," one of them said to her.

"I studied a lot in the summer," she boasted a little too arrogantly.

"You did? Why didn't you go see the France vs. Romania quidditch match in July? Everybody was there." The twins batted their eyelashes in confusion. "Who needs to study in the summer?"

Hermione almost opened her mouth to say "I do, in order to keep up with you". In her mind, her thought was to befriend the twins, so she certainly didn't need to bring up her muggle heritage. "Oh I didn't mean study, I meant I learned a lot. By watching my parents," she added quickly. Her pulse rate instantly rose and she felt her face grow warm.

To her disbelief, the twins were impressed. "Really?" the other twin exclaimed. "Your parents are pureblood then?" Hermione nodded meekly. "That must be so cool! Our parents never showed us how to do any magic. They were so strict and sent us to live with our grandparents instead."

She ended up chatting with the Patil twins for ten more minutes before they were whisked off to class.

Unfortunately, Hermione was a few minutes late to potions class for the first time. Since there were limited seats available, she had no choice but to sit on the Slytherin side. She was glad that other Gryffindors were also sitting with Slytherins.

"Can anyone tell me what the properties of horsetail are?" Professor Snape grunted strictly. Hermione's hand shot in the air, but she was ignored. "Mister Potter?"

Since she was on the other side of the room, this time she could see all of the Gryffindors more clearly. Normally, she'd be in the front row and unable to see her classmates. The boy that Snape was addressing nonchalantly answered his question before he went back to looking bored and scribbling in his notebook.

"Damned Potter," a blonde Slytherin muttered beside her.

"Who's he?" she whispered. Hermione then thought twice. "I mean, what's wrong with him?"

"He's just so self absorbed. Look at him."

To Hermione, Harry Potter looked pretty normal to her. He didn't look as arrogant as Draco made him out to be for the rest of the class, while they were paired up to create a potion. Harry had messy hair, green eyes, and a bright smile. He looked pretty approachable and sociable to Hermione. However, she kept that to herself.

Draco Malfoy was a wealthy boy and a little bit cocky. He got easier to talk to as time progressed. Hermione decided he wasn't as scary as she initially made him out to be. However, he could speak in a very condescending way. "Your dad works in the Ministry?" she asked later into the class.

"My father is one of most respected men in the Ministry. You can't ever cross him." Draco watched incredulously while Hermione took charge of the potion. "Have your parents made you start potion making since you were born? That's just bloody ridiculous."

"I guess I'm just naturally good at it," Hermione laughed nervously. She felt like she was being too awkward. "Erm, so both of your parents are purebloods as well?"

"I haven't met anyone who wasn't. Muggleborns are rare here. They tend to go to Durmstrang."

Hermione was taken back. Draco's tone wasn't hostile, but rather indifferent towards muggleborns. "Why don't people like muggleborns?" she bursted out quite suddenly.

Draco gave her an odd look. She was being too awkward and weird. "Nobody hates them, they're just weird, and that's all. Doesn't mean I'd want to meet one."

It was decided then that Hermione would never tell anybody she was a muggleborn. She feared she'd be isolated or abandoned, and along with a load of mixed reasons, Hermione just knew she'd keep to herself. She planned on focusing on studying and that was it. Plus she had made a few friends already, and couldn't tell them the truth. It was only a small little lie anyway.

At the end of potions class, Hermione had ceased conversations with Draco as they finished up their potion. They finished packing up in silence. "I think I'll have you as my partner for the rest of the year," Draco declared suddenly.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. Back in her old elementary school, she was always used for her brains; everybody only wanted to be paired up with her for a good grade. "I don't see why we have to stick together," she retorted.

Draco wasn't having any of it. "I'll see you next class, partner."

"Malfoy." Snape hovered over Draco's desk. "Good work today. Ten points to Slytherin."

Hermione got a little ticked off because of the points. She got a little more agitated when Draco had a smug expression set. "Good day," she said as politely as she could and walked off.


	2. Wand Waving and Candy

Chapter 2 Of wand waving and candy

"It's levi-OH-sa, not levi-oh-SA," Hermione corrected. At this point, she wanted everybody to know that she knew her magic _well._ She wanted that established, and she wanted it so much that Hermione didn't quite understand how her attitude was affecting others.

"Nobody asked you," the red-headed Ron Weasley muttered under his breath.

"Well you were doing it wrong."

To Hermione's surprise, it was Draco who had shot back at Ron. She turned to glance at the blonde haired boy. It was extremely obvious that the two disliked each other.

Well, obvious to everyone except Professor Flitwick. "Okay does anybody want to try on an object that's not a feather?"

Draco, being an arrogant prick in class like he always was, waved his wand at Ron. Instantly, Ron's robes were pulled up into the air over his head.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Flitwick gasped.

"Sorry professor, it was my mistake. I couldn't control it. At least he didn't catch fire," Draco put casually.

"Oh well at least no one got hurt."

Ron pulled his robes back down to reveal a bright red face full of anger. He glared at Draco so harshly that Hermione wondered if he could set fire to Draco with his eyes.

"Twit."

"Weasel."

"Rich boy."

Ron rolled up parchment and threw it at Draco's head while Flitwick wasn't looking. Draco retaliated. Hermione found herself in the middle of the conflict when various objects would hit her at random.

After class, she found Ron walking outside with his friends. Ron, Harry, Seamus Finigan, and Dean Thomas were talking. Hermione had picked up Ron's wand, which he had forgotten. She was about to give him a scolding. It was irresponsible how he had simply left it there.

Ron was particularly loud when she approached him. "It's levi-OH-sa, not levi-oh-SA. She's a nightmare, honestly! No wonder she hasn't got any friends."

With that, a load of bricks fell onto Hermione's head and she glanced at her feet. She dropped Ron's wand and made a sprint in the other direction. A rush of embarrassment quickly filled her cheeks, but she kept her cool as she strode into the nearest building.

"That jerk," she hissed.

"And she stepped on my wand too! Now I'm going to need a new one!" was the last thing she heard before she slammed the entrance door shut.

"You broke the Weasel's wand."

It was a statement, not a question. Hermione was in a great huff that she didn't notice she had almost run into Draco. He looked amused.

"By accident," she muttered back.

"Should have broken Potter's, but I can be content with Weasley's."

"You still mad that Harry managed to become the first seeker in first year in a hundred years?"

"Who wouldn't be?"

"I feel bad that his wand is broken," Hermione blurted out. "It doesn't seem like he can afford a new one like you could."_ But he deserves it_, she thought to herself.

"Probably the biggest reason why he hates me."

Hermione wanted to point out that Ron was still friends with Harry. "Why are you even talking to me? We are not going to be partners again." Draco had tested to her last nerve in the past couple of months.

"Actually, I have another offer to propose to you. Today is Halloween, and you are a clever witch. We need another hand helping with our prank set-up."

"I thought you Slytherins frowned on the Weasley twins' pranks."

"They are amateur. We have something even better in mind."

Hermione shook her head. "Leave me out of it. I want nothing to do with that."

"So you're just going to sit in the library all evening, even though it's Halloween?"

"That's pretty much how I spend all my evenings."

"Fine, be that way."

So Hermione had irritated more than just one boy that day. She was not feeling festive or in the studying mood. Instead, she decided to wander the walls of Hogwarts while everybody was in the Great Hall eating.

"I should stop feeling so bitter," she said to herself. "Be more cheerful and outgoing." A couple of tears rolled down her cheek.

Down the hall, she saw Draco and a group of Slytherin first years strolling about. There were a couple of people from other houses as well. They were up to something.

"Hey, it's Granger."

Hermione instantly cleared up her eyes and gave them a brutal stare. "What are you trying to do?"

"We just finished scaring Peeves, and now we're going to look for secret passages in the castle," a girl said. "I want to go to Hogsmeade."

"Come join," a boy named Blaise Zabini offered.

Hermione literally didn't have a choice as she was pulled into the group. She didn't object straight away, since they were just walking around the castle. That was innocent enough, right?

"Hermione, have you ever tried blood flavoured candy?" Pansy Parkinson handed her a lollipop. "It's so gross but so addicting."

"I don't want to try," she protested.

"Try it."

It tasted gross. She wanted to throw it back up, along with the other candy that the group had stashed away or received in the mail.

"Want to hear a scary story?"

Hermione, although a little bit uncomfortable, was enjoying the encounter with the group. They were a little too loud for her tastes, but she did tell herself earlier that day to be more sociable.

"It's Peeves again." They stopped on the staircase and pointed up at the ceiling.

"Want to try that new charm we learned on him?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea!"

Hermione knew it was not. "Maybe we shouldn't…" She trailed off and glanced over at the only person she really knew. Draco shrugged at her.

"Wingardium leviosa."

Instead of a levitating poltergeist, there was a small spark and a blast. The spellcaster knocked into Hermione, which pushed her slightly over the staircase. Hermione shrieked out in response.

"Crap."

Both Draco and Crabbe pulled at her robes until she rebalanced herself. Hermione was flustered.

"Sorry for almost killing you," Goyle muttered.

Everyone was half expecting her to get mad and rage at them. However, Hermione pulled herself together and continued to walk up the stairs. The others shrugged to themselves and followed.

Apparently, the group lost track of time as they were jumping around staircases and exploring each floor. The feast was over by now and they were well past curfew.

Hermione was getting nervous. "Shouldn't we head back to the common room? We'll get in trouble."

"We won't get into that much trouble tonight, it's Halloween."

The lights in the hall flickered and suddenly went out. Somebody ran over to them and hissed frantically, "Filch is coming!"

Everyone instantly ditched her. The party was over, so they didn't have to be nice. It was okay while it lasted. Distressed, Hermione took off in another direction. She wasn't familiar with the fourth floor, so she got a little more anxious when all the lights turned off. "I knew I shouldn't have listened to them!"

Hermione ended up inside a mirror. She didn't know how, but at one moment, she was leaning on a mirror on the wall. In the next moment, she had fallen through when the mirror opened up. It was a secret passage.

"Oh cool."

Too scared to actually go into it, Hermione shut the door and ran down the corridor. She let out a sigh when she reached the moving staircases. Five more minutes and she would be back in the common room.

"That's twenty points, and detention."

It was Professor McGonagall. She was on the staircases with hands on her hips. She was giving out detention to Ron and Harry. The two boys clearly saw her, but McGonagall hadn't noticed.

"That's not fair, professor," Ron complained.

Frozen, Hermione wondered how long it would take for McGonagall to turn her head and see her. Ron looked like he was going to give her away.

Until both the boys and Hermione noticed a blonde boy crouching behind the staircase in McGonagall's line of view. Ron lost all interest in Hermione and he suddenly smirked. "Professor, we're not the only ones out of bed."

"I don't care that you boys think it's alright to stay out late and party," McGonagall snapped. "Anyone caught will be punished and given detention." She was about to step to the side and easily spot Draco.

In a moment of quick decision making, Hermione instinctively grew a backbone. Jumping, Hermione darted towards the little meeting. "It's me, Professor. I got a little sidetracked, I'm sorry."


	3. Friends

Chapter 3 Friends

"It's not because I wanted to save you then, but because I think Ron Weasley is the biggest prat in the world. His friend Harry is no better. I did not want to give them the satisfaction."

"You had the biggest crush on Potter for the past two years," Draco pointed out. "Tell me more on how you dislike the two."

Hermione hid her blush and glared. "He played Quidditch very well," she defended.

"Hey," Draco retorted, pushing down Hermione's library book. "I play Quidditch too."

"What's your point?" She gave him a coy smile.

It was the summer before their third year at Hogwarts. Hermione had been invited by Draco to go to Diagon Alley together for school supplies. The two had become fast friends, perhaps the oddest pair of friends in the school. Hermione found that while Draco was cruel or spiteful to others, he was… equally the same towards Hermione. He would insult her, make fun of her, and leave her in the middle of intense conversations.

Nonetheless, they were still friends and still spoke often. Oddly enough, while they didn't do many activities together, they had a lot of intellectual conversations, something that Hermione had always wanted with people.

As for Harry and Ron, Hermione had served detention with them once. After that, they never crossed each other's paths much. That day she had jumped in for Draco was the day she chose to be Draco's friend. It ultimately made it a hundred times harder to be friends with Harry and Ron, or with their group of friends.

The two friends bickered while waiting for their robe fittings. "I am nice," Draco argued.

"Really? Name one time you were compassionate towards a human being."

"The definitions between 'nice' and 'compassion' are not that similar."

"You seem a little hesitant to answer." Hermione held back a small grin.

Draco scowled. "I may have made a mistake coming with you."

"Oh Draco? Surprised to see you here." A friend of Draco's had entered the shop, but he wasn't their age. Older by quite a couple of years and wearing distinguishable robes, the friend gave Draco a handshake and the two exchanged small talk in hushed whispers. The brown haired friend of Draco gave Hermione the creeps, and she uncomfortable looked down at her shoes. "Who might your little lady friend be?"

"This is Hermione Granger."

"Henry Myles, attorney friend of Draco and his father's." He firmly shook her hand while giving her an unblinking stare. "If you ever need assistance, contact the Malfoy family and my firm. We are at the top in the business."

When he left, Hermione sighed in relief. "Why does your family need a lawyer?"

"The Ministry has been giving my father a bit of grief with some… old stuff we have. Let's just say that Henry has been loads of help."

She laughed nervously. "Seems kind of suspicious, doesn't it?"

"Way to be blunt, Granger."

"Your family has been getting on the news a lot," Hermione noticed. "Will you be okay?"

"Just leave it be," Draco snapped.

"Okay." Hermione pointed towards the Magical Menagerie. "Let's stop by and get a few things for Spudgy." Spudgy was the grey-feathered owl that Hermione owned. In second year, she had received the adored owl via mail, or via itself, on her birthday from an anonymous sender. A note attached had read, "Congratulations Ms. Granger for receiving outstanding achievement in the school year." She loved it and kept good care of it ever since.

"What kind of career were you thinking of pursuing?" Draco wondered as they browsed the shop. "The options you're taking are kind of hectic. How are you going to fit all of your classes into a schedule?"

"Some kind of social worker or a healer. I'm still deciding," Hermione told him. "Of course that's why I'm taking as many options as I can. I even got Professor Lupin to supervise a project I'm working on for extra credit"

"Speaking of the tired old loon, did you know what I discovered about him? I was absolutely appalled when I found out that Lupin is family friends with Potter! No wonder he always favours him."

She laughed and gave him a look. "You know what I discovered a year ago? That SNAPE is your godfather and he gives you special treatment too."

"He does not. I am one of the few competent people in his class. He doesn't like tolerating lazy no-brainers."

"He doesn't like me either."

"He doesn't like Gryffindors."

"I am forced to accept this fate then. You win once more."

"One more amongst the hundreds."

"Entertaining while it lasted."

"I have to get going," Hermione broke off the conversation. "My mom needs me home in an hour to help move."

"Oh I might as well leave too. There's going to be Quidditch practice at Zabini's manor later this evening. I should go warm up."

"I'll see you when school starts?" Hermione offered to give him a hug, but Draco blatantly refused. "What why?"

"I don't do personal contact," he said shortly.

"Friends hug occasionally," Hermione said amusedly.

"We're friends?" he joked back.

* * *

"Great, Granger you've really done it now." Hermione was lost in the midst of Knockturn Alley. On her way back to the Leaky Cauldron, she had started reading a scroll for her course options. She lost her sense of whereabouts and ended up in the middle of the alley filled with strange looking wizards and dusty stores.

"Excuse me, can you tell me how to get back to Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked an old, pale and dusty witch politely.

The witch glanced at Hermione up and down. "Won't you come in for some sweets, my dear? You're looking awfully thin," she hoarsely said as best as she could with her wheezy voice.

"N-no thank you." Hermione abruptly spun on her heel and sped away from the witch. While doing so, she pulled up her black hood in panic. Fear raced through her veins as she pushed her way through the dark alleys.

"If only I could learn how to apparate," she muttered.

There were a lot of wizards and witches in the alley, but all of them were too rushed to notice her. They were all covered up from head to toe and didn't dare glance at the people in the shops, or the ones who lingered on the streets with floating merchandise around them. Hermione kept her hood up and continued onwards.

As she neared the sight of a colourful building in the distance, there was a sudden commotion at the corner near where she stood. Another cloaked and hooded man was dragging one scrawny, baldheaded man forcefully into a store. The store, she noticed, was called "Autographs and Trade Collections" and had pictures of wizard celebrities, athletes, or public figures on the window display. However, the moving pictures were all frowning unhappily at the people. Hermione doubted the authenticity of the signatures for most, if not all, of the photos.

People turned their heads to look at ruckus but the pair were promptly ignored. The smaller, forced man was out of breath and red in the face.

"You're not going to turn me into a brainless freak," the smaller man shouted. "I won't have it!"

"But dear… cousin…" a slick, enthusiastic voice called out eagerly from behind the hood, "You need to take your medicine. You're sick."

Hermione was not one for playing hero or jumping into other people's business. She turned her body away and was about to walk across the street towards Diagon Alley when a sight made her stop in her steps. Her face drained of blood. She meekly stared.

Draco Malfoy had his hood up as well, but he was far too recognizable in Hermione's perspective. His short stature indicated that, he too, was out of place in Knockturn Alley. His blonde hair and pale-white face was another form of attention grabbing. Draco had pulled out several wooden wands of various lengths from a bag and showed it subtly to a hairy man sitting on the ground by a store. They exchanged nods, and the sickly man held up a sack of what Hermione believed were coins, before snatching the wands and hiding them in his coat.

Now, Hermione studied a lot up on her history. She knew how hard it was to come across wands, nevertheless brand new wands. Only a few shops in the entire world sold them. She remembered from a textbook that a brand new wand should USUALLY come with a box. It was shady enough that Draco was selling wands in Knockturn Alley, but she bit her tongue hard to try not to think of where Draco had come across those wands, or where they had come from…

Her distraction caused Hermione to bump into a group of wizards striding by. They gave her a mean push and she fell to the ground with a thud. No one took notice of her fall, but Hermione's bushy hair was now revealed for the world to see.

And one of those people happened to Draco, who had spotted a familiar bushy head, but couldn't spot it after Hermione fell to the ground. "Hermione?" he called out, clearly unafraid of his surroundings.

She cursed herself and hoped that he actually did not see her clearly. She threw her hood on again and crawled between the robes and feet. Luckily for her, the alley was dark and full of odd bins, barrels, and boxes in the way. She hid behind a large barrel filled with snapping mice.

Draco looked around the street for a moment, before giving up and quickly dashing back into Diagon Alley. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want to confront Draco about the matter any time soon.

Unfortunately, matters got a little out of hand when the same bald, red-faced man suddenly latched onto Hermione's arm. "Call the Ministry," he hissed. "He's a fraud. He's really a criminal and deserves to be put away."


	4. Too Much of a Mindful

Chapter 4 Mind over Matter

"Get off!" Hermione shrieked and jerked her arm away.

The pitiful man collapsed onto his knees, clearly unable to stand up properly. "He's just some loathsome, cruel famous boy!" the man barked hysterically. "That Gilderoy Lockhart!"

"What?" Hermione clambered onto her feet and had her wand in her sleeve, ready at any moment. She was afraid, but wary, and also a little confused. What nonsense was this person spouting?

"He's been erasing people's memories," the man whispered with wide eyes, at the point of insanity. He was a raving lunatic. "And taking credit from other people. He's about to do the same to ME. But no… no I won't let him take credit for that!"

The man in question stepped out behind Hermione and grabbed both of their arms. Lockhart proved really strong, seeing as the other man yelped in pain and nearly fell over. Hermione whimpered at his grip. "Just one more to obliviate," he muttered under his breath. "Just a student though, no big deal."

Hermione had no time to react before the golden-haired wizard dragged them back into the store. It was dimly lit, but Hermione spotted several thousand pictures of wizards and witches all over the walls and tables. Most of them were notably of Gilderoy Lockhart themselves. Lockhart turned the sign on the door to read "closed" before pulling off his hood.

"I just need to know where you put the ghoul. Normally, I wouldn't need to resort to such extreme measures; others don't have to put up with my coercing for long before they reveal how they did things." Lockhart pointed a wand straight at the man's nose. "You may want to reconsider my offer."

"I refuse!"

Lockhart's charms weren't that great, but he successfully sent the man sprawling onto the floor in a tickling fit.

Hermione was left alone away from the door, exhausted by the whole experience. The two yelled and screamed at each other for so long, it felt like hours. She quickly reviewed her charms as the two men clashed into a verbal fight. Memory charms were advanced, so Hermione hadn't learned about them in school yet. But she did remember skimming over them in a book about the 18th century. If only there was some way to block it...

Quickly, Hermione tried to get back up onto her feet. Lockhart ignored her once more, deeming her as little potential threat as he continued to insult the other man. Her face was heating up and she was sweating.

"I was a fan of your books," she said to Lockhart sharply. "Even my mother found you attractive."

"My dear, you still will be a fan and adore me," Lockhart kept his wand pointed at the man, but patted Hermione on her bushy hair. "You'll never realize anything else. Now step aside while I deal with something here."

"You could just let me go," she suggested.

"That would be out of the question. Now hush!" Lockhart turned back to the man, who was now sobbing uncontrollably. He began to berate him again.

Hermione helplessly watched as the man finally gave in and spilled. It didn't take too long for her to witness Lockhart casting the memory charm on the helpless man without a wand. Immediately, Lockhart casted a fake memory, stunned, and placed the man as comfortably as he could into a chair.

She wasn't going to turn out like him. Erasing part of Hermione's mind was not okay in her books; it was an invasion of privacy, wrong, and she was too clever of a witch to let him do that.

"I'll still come outside to Diagon Alley and meet up with you, perhaps sign you an autograph even. No need to fear, little girl." Lockhart flashed an all-teeth smile before raising his wand. Then his expression turned serious. "It won't be painful. Just stand still for me. Obliviate!"

"Protego!" Hermione responded swiftly. While Lockhart was taken by surprise, she waved her wand again. "Petrificus totalus."

The famous wizard's limbs froze up and locked to his sides. He instantly fell over onto the cold, dusty wooden floor. She almost laughed; it was easier than she expected it to be. Hermione stepped over him to retrieve his wand before casting another spell on him to tie him up. His eyes slid back and forth, shocked.

"Sorry, hope it didn't hurt," she muttered back.

Hermione was now at a desperate lost of what to do. Gilderoy Lockhart was VERY famous in the Wizarding World, so what were people going to think when they came in and found him tied up, with another unconscious man in the corner? She would be seen as a criminal. Hermione had used magic outside of school…. She would get kicked out of Hogwarts and have her wand snapped. The million of thoughts crossed her mind, filling them with horror.

"Would anyone believe me?" she wondered. The other man had already lost his memories. There was no proof.

She took a walk around the store to see if she could find anything useful. If there was a fireplace, maybe she could call for security or something. Nonetheless, the list of people Hermione could contact was very short.

Although she was at the top of the class and prided herself in being very well-versed and knowledgeable, Hermione started to break down. She was lost. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she racked her brain on what to do.

"I could just obliviate Lockhart and leave," Hermione whispered to herself. That idea seemed tempting, but it didn't feel right to simply let Lockhart off the hook. She also did not know how to cast a memory charm. "Maybe I can…"

After fifteen or so minutes of sitting in a chair with despair, Hermione ran over to the unconscious bald man. She prodded him to try to waken him, but he was too out of it. She had to try another tactic…

"You're not that clever of a witch. I will get out of this." Lockhart was sitting upright in a chair with his hands and feet bound. A permanent glare was settled on his face.

"What's the name of that man?" Hermione repeated, tapping her wand impatiently on her palm.

"No one needs to know."

Hermione walked a circle around Lockhart, sighing. She wasn't about to use any more spells, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. "The sooner I figure it out, the better it will be for all of us," she threatened.

"You've got nothing on me. It's my word against yours for the whole Wizarding World," Lockhart spat.

With one swift motion, a lock of gold fell to the floor by their feet. A long pause took place before Lockhart realized what Hermione had done. "You cut off my precious hair!" he cried. "All those hours of grooming... gone to waste..."

"And it'll just keep going, all night if it has to," Hermione told him, dangling the scissors in front of his face. "I just need a name, that's all."

Tears in his eyes, Lockhart could only glance away as he said with a despairing voice, "Edwin Barnold."

Moments later, Hermione emerged from the fireplace of Edwin Barnold's home. She had left Lockhart trapped in his chair, silenced and frozen. There had been floo powder in the cupboard by the cash register. Taking the only piece of information that Barnold had given Lockhart, she searched the place.

It didn't take too long to find the urn with the ghoul trapped inside. She quickly left the urn there and returned to the dusty old store, a triumphant grin on her face. The ghoul was indeed in Edwin Barnold's home; that was the only proof she needed. When Edwin Barnold woke up, he wouldn't remember any ghoul in his home, so when authorities ask him what was in the urn, he would honestly not know.

"I don't suppose those other victims of your memory charm have any relics in their homes too?" Hermione flashed Lockhart a smile. He had countlessly named a number of people he had used in his fight with Barnold. Lockhart's face drained of colour. "Amelia Jones would have vampire scratches all over her back instead of you; Harry Sutton would have the ingredients for the No-Stomach-Pain potion, even though you have the instructions and claimed you invented it..."

"How do you remember all of these things?" Lockhart was astonished. "In fact, how did you even connect the dots? Not even the Order of Merlin could figure it all out."

Hermione decided to ignore him and pulled out something behind her back. "Do you know what this is?"

"No, it's some kind of muggle device. What need would I have for that?"

"It's a voice recording device. I found it laying around in Barnold's house." Lockhart's eyes widened. "He's a muggleborn. He's also a far better wizard than you'll ever be. All of your accomplishments aren't yours; they belong to other people."

Ignoring the protests of Lockhart, Hermione tucked the voice recorder into her cloak and sighed. Now the problem was contacting the authorities, or anybody to help. People outside in Knockturn Alley would be no use. There was only one person whom Hermione could think to call right off the bat. She grabbed a handful of Floo powder and tossed it into the flames. "Remus Lupin."


End file.
